With the remnants of the Francis Scott Key Bridge behind them, Maryland politicians and Baltimore community members gathered Wednesday to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the bridge’s collapse, remember the six people who died in the tragedy and point to the future of the structure.

“While this day is a day of mourning, it is not a day of grief alone,” Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said in a speech Wednesday. “It is a day to commemorate the strength, resilience and that Baltimore grit that we showed the world in that moment.”

The Francis Scott Key Bridge fell in the early hours of March 26, 2024, when a cargo ship struck a support column. Six immigrant construction workers who were fixing potholes on the bridge died in the collapse.

The collapsed bridge closed the main shipping channel of the Port of Baltimore, one of the country’s busiest ports, for 11 weeks. On Wednesday, Moore touted the speed in which state and federal officials reopened the harbor and said some had estimated it would take 11 months to reopen the port.

“There were no guarantees that we would succeed,” Moore said in his speech. “But that was not going to stop us from getting the work done.”

The bridge will be rebuilt with full federal funding, which Congress approved in its December spending bill after a monthslong push from the Maryland delegation.

Moore unveiled design plans for the replacement bridge in February. The remaining main bridge structure is expected to be demolished this year, Maryland transportation department secretary Paul Wiedefeld said during Wednesday’s event.

Wednesday’s event was held near the base of where the bridge stood for 47 years — connecting Hawkins Point, a Baltimore City neighborhood, and Dundalk.

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Speakers included Democrats Moore, Scott, Sen. Chris Van Hollen, Rep. Kweisi Mfume, Rep. Johnny Olszewski and Maryland state Senate president Bill Ferguson.

“One year ago, we lost an iconic symbol of connection, one that not only connected us but supported the livelihood of countless residents,” Olszewski, who was the Baltimore County Executive when the bridge collapsed, said.

The Port of Baltimore supports more than 15,000 jobs directly and nearly 140,000 jobs indirectly, according to Maryland State Archives.

Moore echoed the slogan “Maryland tough, Baltimore strong,” during his speech, emphasizing the community and state’s speed in coming together after the bridge collapse.

Family members of the victims, politicians and first responders were among those in the crowd Wednesday morning. Attendee Joseph DeVito, a health and safety bureau chief with the Baltimore County Fire Department, was at the scene the day of the collapse.

“It’s amazing the response of everybody, all the agencies and the first responders that actually went into the water that night,” DeVito said. “Just shows just all the resiliency of the responders and the community going together and coming together a year afterwards.”

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Maria del Carmen Castellón, the widow of Miguel Angel Luna Gonzalez — one of the construction workers who died in the collapse — wrote a speech that was read aloud during the commemoration.

Her speech asked for the FBI investigation into the bridge collapse to be expedited. Castellón called Grace Ocean Private, the company that owned the cargo ship, “irresponsible.”

“We need to move forward with the trial against the irresponsible company that owns the boat so that we can close this painful chapter with the certainty that everything possible has been done,” Castellón wrote.

The FBI began a criminal investigation into the collapse in April 2024, according to The Washington Post.

If people or companies are found legally responsible for the bridge collapse, the money from such lawsuits will go toward its rebuild, the spending bill that authorized full federal funding for the bridge rebuild read.

Castellón also thanked the Moore administration and the Baltimore community for supporting the families and expressed gratitude for the scholarship fund made for the families of the deceased.

“My heart is still wounded, but also filled with gratitude,” Castellón’s speech said.